The first trailer for Stephen Elliott‘s About Cherry — known, at the time, only as Cherry — was a low-fi affair that looked a bit sleazier than a film of this sort ought to. Thank an HD presentation or, perhaps, the poor quality of a previous upload, but this new preview bears less resemblance to what came before — and it makes a difference of sorts.

Although Ashley Hinshaw (Chronicle) stars as a young girl who goes off to San Francisco and, soon enough, finds herself in porn — usually a path one takes after the studio deals don’t fall into place — the highlight of this footage is its supporting cast; no surprise when it’s comprised of James Franco, Heather Graham, Dev Patel, and Lili Taylor. Unfortunately, it still looks like a standard drama about broken dreams, wasted potential, and the like, something reviews out ofthis year’s Berlinale more or less reinforce.

Cherry is about Angelina (Ashley Hinshaw), an 18-year-old girl on the verge of finishing high school. Angelina’s family life is difficult. Her mother (Lili Taylor) is an alcoholic and her step-father is violent and unpredictable. One morning her boyfriend (Jonny Weston) suggests she take naked pictures for money. She balks at first but then does the photo shoot, using the money to run-off with her best friend (Dev Patel) to San Francisco. In San Francisco, while cocktailing in a strip club, Angelina meets Frances (James Franco) a well-off lawyer who offers to introduce her to a different kind of world, a place full of expensive dresses and fancy parties. But that world is not as perfect as it first appears and Frances has problems of his own. At the same time Angelina, using the moniker Cherry, has begun exploring the San Francisco porn industry under the direction of Margaret (Heather Graham) a former performer turned adult film director.

About Cherry will have a VOD premiere on August 9th, followed by a limited theatrical opening on September 21st.

Has this first trailer made you think About Cherry can be above its own sleazy subject matter?